Tonight’s game against the Calgary Flames at the Pepsi Center wraps up “Father’s Weekend” for the Avalanche. The NHL players and their fathers traveled to Dallas on Thursday for Friday’s 7-6 overtime loss against the Stars and have spent the rest of the weekend together in Denver. Unfortunately for 24-year-old defenseman Ryan Wilson, who might be Colorado’s MVP thus far, he is still mourning the loss of his father and stepfather. His father, Gary Wilson, died of a heart attack at age 43 in 2003, and his stepfather, Barry Hall, died of cancer at age 45 in 2008.

Ryan Wilson was 16 and 21, respectively, at the time of those deaths, and has gone from an undrafted free agent to one of the most respected, and perhaps feared, middleweight defenseman in the Western Conference, if not the entire NHL.

“A big hit at the right time can change the momentum of the game, depending on the situation, and that, coupled with the fact that he’s a steady player defensively right now, makes him a very important player for us,” Avs coach Joe Sacco said. “Last year, when you look at the second half when we were going through a tough time during that stretch, he was by-far our plus-minus leader. That’s consistent. There’s something with that.”

In today’s paper and online editions, I wrote about Wilson’s family losses and blossoming NHL career — he leads the Avs with a plus-8 rating and is tied for third in the league in that department — plus his relationship with Steven Stamkos and other interesting stuff about the hard-hitting D-man from Windsor, Ontario. For instance, Wilson’s defensive coach for the Sarnia Sting of the Ontario Hockey League was Greg Walters, who played with Sacco in the Toronto Maple Leafs organization. Walters said he and Sacco are good buddies, so Sacco knew a little bit about Wilson when he was traded from the Flames to the Avs in the 2009 trade-deadline deal that made Jordan Leopold a Flame.

Wilson’s tenure with the Avs coincides with Sacco’s, and Wilson briefly played for Sacco for Colorado’s AHL affiliate in Lake Erie after the trade. Wilson is in his third season with the Avs, same as Sacco.

“I didn’t have the opportunity to really measure him up, as far as what type of player he was, because he only played a few games (because of a knee injury),” Sacco said of Wilson when the two were together in Lake Erie. “The following year, when I came (to Colorado), he got an opportunity and ran with it. He’s resilient. He’s worked hard. I think those type of players that aren’t drafted feel like they always have something to prove.”

Let’s look at how Wilson got here. Here is a chart from today’s paper:

The 2009 trade-deadline deal that sent prized Avalanche two-way defenseman Jordan Leopold to the Calgary Flames for two undrafted defensemen and a 2009 second-round draft pick didn’t look so good at the time. Today and beyond, however, it could benefit the Avalanche for years to come. A look at the trade:

The Flames received:
Leopold – At age 31, he remains a top-four NHL D-man, now in his second season with the Buffalo Sabres, his fifth team. Has 228 career points (54 goals) in 519 games.

The Avs received:
D Ryan Wilson – Leads the Avs with a plus-8 rating (tied for third in the NHL) and is tied for fourth in scoring with eight points (seven assists) in 13 games
D Lawrence Nycholat – Played just five games with Avs in 2009, his last stint in the NHL, and is currently playing in Germany.

D Stefan Elliott (the 2009 second-round draft pick) The skilled 20-year-old is in the grooming stages of a sure-fire NHL career, receiving maximum minutes for the AHL’s Lake Erie Monsters and preparing to make his NHL debut this season.

I’ve actually been really impressed with Wilson so far this year. He might be the best passer among our entire defense. His shot is not big, but it generally gets on net, and he’s responsible defensively. You rarely see him pinching unless it’s the right time to do so.
I wasn’t sold on Wilson as a player last season, but this season he’s earned a permanent spot on the blue line (at least in my opinion).

Smell the Glove

I’m glad to see his physical presence is back on the ice again. I think he’s been a good consistent defensemen but that big hitting part of his game seemed to go into hiding a little bit last year. I can’t remember, maybe he had an injury that slowed him up a little. It does seem to be back this year and I really appreciate that kind of play.

He reminds me a little bit of a poor man’s Nik Kronwall from the Wings. He doesn’t quite strike the same fear yet as Kronwall, but he may get there this year or next.

jimbo

I think when it was Wilson’s turn to get his “Avs defenseman injury” last season, he hurt his leg, but I don’t remember him missing a lot of games. He may well have backed off the big hits though, that sounds familiar.

Good comparison, I think, with Kronwall. I think Wilson has a ways to go to be at Kronwall’s level of offensive output, but I can see him getting close to that if he keeps getting the ice time. I think he’s one of the Avs better offensive-minded D.

Jiminlittleton

Kronwall is a dirty hitter, which is vastly different from the clean but big hits put on by Ryan Wilson. redwings suck anyway, why mention them here?

Funtruck92

Willy!

Mariechantal

It is so well deserved on his part. I love Wilson !

DanishAvsfan

Very nice little piece on Wilson. The piece has that quality where it enables a fan to sympathize with a player. I’ve really liked WIlsons play this year, apart maybe for his first game, but it does seem like he is turning into a valuable d-man, after his injury problems.

NickQuebec

I like Wilson a lot , he’s a tough kid !

i was at the game in Ottawa when Landeskog got hit by Zach Smith… Wilson came to the rescue

great trade by Francois Giguere

Smell the Glove

One of the reason I believe hockey players have better character than any other major sport is because of stories like these. To be a hockey player at any level requires so much involvement from parents. They have to dedicate money and their time, which often means getting up before the sun. Hockey is expensive and most parents don’t just have the extra money to pay for all the equipment it requires so sometimes they have to work a few extra shifts or kids need to raise money in various ways to pitch in.

All of these things are such great lessons for kids growing up that to really achieve what you want you have to work hard and sacrifice. The kids have to look no further than their parents and coaches as good examples.

Thanks for the story, Chambers. I never knew those things about Wilson. I feel for him since I lost my dad early on too. I hope he knows we’re all rooting for him.

canyonero

Good story about this kid; I like his intensity and toughness, and if he can contribute on offense, that’s a big bonus for the Avs.

IdAvsFan

I’ll second that!

Rob

Solid in his own zone, and what’s not to like about those monster hits? Wilson is emerging as one of the Avs best d-men despite speculation he would be a frequent healthy scratch at the begining of the year. If this guy is Hunwicks competition for the sixth d-spot Hunwick will not see the outside of the press box again. And kudos to Wilson for overcoming and playing through those personal tragedies. A true warrior, in every sense of the word.

Anonymous

Wilson has undoubtedly been a nice surprise for the Avs. Getting him for Mr. Glass (Leopold) seemed like a rather uneventful trade back in 2009. When you consider adding Nycholat, an unknown defenseman, and a second round pick, that made the trade seem even more “Meh. Who’d we get?”

Just evaluating that trade straight up Wilson for Leopold holds enough value on its own. Leopold always had potential which he could never quite live up to and of course, was always injured. To get a steady defenseman in Wilson who is also capable of chipping in offensively and making big hits makes this trade seem like a steal in hindsight. Keep up the good play Ryan Wilson!

Puckmeup

Love your name man!

Anonymous

Thanks man!

Evilsmurf

The interesting thing about Ryan Wilson is he can be traced directly back to the Eric Lindros trade:
Wilson became an Av in the Leopold trade
Leo became in Av in the Tanguay trade
The pick used to select Tanger was acquired for Mike Ricci
Mike Ricci became a Nord in the Lindros trade.

Terry Frei graduated from Wheat Ridge High School in the Denver area and has degrees in history and journalism from the University of Colorado-Boulder. He worked for the Rocky Mountain News while attending CU and joined the Post staff after graduation. He has also worked at the Oregonian in Portland, Ore., and The Sporting News. His seventh book, March 1939: Before the Madness, was issued in February 2014.

Chambers covers college and professional hockey for The Denver Post. He has written for the Post since 1994, after dumping his first 9-to-5 office job a couple years out of college. He primarily follows the University of Denver hockey team and helps cover the Avalanche.